


Warm Hands and Soft, Aching Hearts

by CruciatusFoe



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Comfort, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Love, M/M, Oneshot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:47:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28187907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CruciatusFoe/pseuds/CruciatusFoe
Summary: Regulus gets hurt and finds help from slightly unexpected places.
Relationships: Regulus Black/Bartemius Crouch Jr.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 24





	Warm Hands and Soft, Aching Hearts

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Chaotic_Gryffindor_Sass](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chaotic_Gryffindor_Sass/gifts).



He could still feel blistering heat as agony erupted from the side of his chest, the wound was already festering, sending Regulus stumbling into the side of the doorframe. He panted, moving forwards sluggishly and collapsing against the banister of the stairs leading up to the second floor. He had to make it to the library. 

Blood trailed down from the wound, he could feel the way it stained through his shirt. His vision swam as he tripped slightly halfway up the stairs. The curse, still active, flared again with another rush of blistering heat. 

His body broke out into violent tremors as he reached the landing and fell to his knees, hair coated in sweat and dripping into his eyes. He raised a bloody hand, wiping it away before proceeding to try and crawl the rest of the way but even as he moved just a bit more, the world spun on its axis and he fell down onto his side, resulting in another sharp tearing of the wound; more blood rushed down his side, thick and warm. He choked on the heaviness of the dark magic practically steaming out of it.

A cry erupted from his lips and he was grateful, so grateful that no one was currently home to hear it.

Nails digging into the carpet, he tried once more but to no success. Sighing, he closed his eyes. He contemplated calling Kreacher before remembering that his mother had him on errands, it would do no good to call him and then result in Kreacher being hurt for not attending to his mother’s whims. 

He was about to succumb and let the darkness envelop him into nothingness, so content to do so and so numb to the pain at this point, he almost missed the door nearest to him, slamming open. 

Sluggishly, Regulus moved his head in that direction, his eyes opening to meet panicked grey eyes peering vividly into his own.

“REG?!”

He coughed, a splattering of blood landing across the cheek of his older brother who was now trying to lift Regulus up, both of them slumping against the wall as Regulus lost his footing. He was then supported up by his shoulders and through the ringing of his ears, he could hear the fearful demands,

“What curse is it? Reg? I don’t know the counter!” 

Regulus was now gasping for air, shuddering enough that he had to fall and cling onto Sirius’s leather jacket. Through now blue lips, he muttered, “I don’t know, I don’t know.”

He was suddenly picked up and found himself staring down at the floor and the back of a jacket as Sirius practically ran down the stairs with his brother hoisted over his shoulder. He clenched his eyes shut at the pain of another onslaught from the curse, it would only take minutes now. So out of it, he didn’t register the floo flaring to life nor the name of the place Sirius called. 

The last thing he actually managed to register was the spinning of floo travel before he fell into darkness.

Regulus awoke to shouting. 

“I don’t fucking care, Malfoy! Summon your shitty lord right now!”

“The Mark doesn’t work like that! You-”

Regulus tried to raise his hand, fingers trembling as they stretched out to where he could only just make out the blurred figures of Narcissa, Lucius and Sirius before he once again, blacked out.

This time, he awoke to a wet and damp flannel being pressed firmly against his side and a hiss of pain slipped out from between chapped lips.

“Hey, take it easy.”

He recognised that voice.

Regulus licked at his lips and swallowed, trying to wet his sore throat, “Barty?”

Finally managing to open his eyes, he saw the ceiling first and then sure enough, Barty moved his face across to look down at Regulus, his straw blond hair tickling his nose.

“I’m impressed you could tell it was me.”

With more effort than he expected, Regulus rolled his eyes at him.

Awareness trickled into him then and he sat up abruptly, wincing at the slight strain on the skin across his chest.

“Where’s Siri?”

“He’s..it doesn’t matter. He’s safe and fine either way. It’s you that needs to heal.”

Regulus shook his head, trying to move off of the bed.  
His efforts were stopped when a firm hand wrapped around his bicep.

“I’m being honest, he’s fine.”

Regulus tried to move again but froze as a finger grasped underneath his jaw, a thumb moving to cradle his chin and then his face was turned, his vision taken up by Barty’s concerned expression.

“Our Lord says you need to rest.”

Regulus clenched his jaw, slapping the hand away.

“Not until I see-”

The door slammed open, startling both of them. Sirius stood in the doorway, panting and without any further hesitation, he launched himself across the bed and grasped his brother in a hug.

Barty facepalmed. 

Regulus gently raised his arms to hug him back, hardly taking in any of the comments being made by a furious and scared Sirius, he only snapped back to himself when Barty moved forward, as if about to pull Sirius away, only to be met by the end of a wand pointed at his eye.

Barty held up his hands in a placating gesture, “He’s not dying, I won’t let that happen.”

Sirius let out a sound that sounded suspiciously like a hiss before he let go of Regulus, looking between him and Barty.

“Look after him then.”

And then, to Regulus’s astonishment, Sirius clumsily rolled off of the bed and practically flew out of the door, it clicking shut behind him. 

Barty raised an eyebrow, “That’s not concerning in the least.”

Regulus nodded mutely, “Is..He here?”

“Not anymore, he left after sorting that out,” Barty nodded down at the slightly reddened skin at the side of Regulus’s chest.

Finally noticing it, Regulus brushed his fingers over it, “It’ll scar?” 

“Most likely.”  
Regulus peered up at the sudden anger that had entered Barty’s tone, fixing him with a raised eyebrow.

“Your brother didn’t say who did it so I’m taking it he’s unaware of how you got it so..who did it?”

Regulus looked away.

The bed moved as more weight was put onto it, Barty climbing on to lay down next to where Regulus was sat, his arms behind his head. 

Regulus peered over his shoulder at him, expression morphing into something fond, “It hardly matters, I don’t know a name.”

Barty hummed, moving his hand from behind his head to tap a pattern against a toned back.

“I thought we agreed not to lie to one another?”

Sighing, Regulus moved to lay on his side, dropping his head against Barty’s chest, “It was just an ex who didn’t take well to being rejected again.”

Barty moved his head, looking down at the unusually messy hair of the man he was beginning to have a soft spot for, “I see.”

Grey eyes with a hint of uncertainty peered up at him, “It’s done and over now, I’m fine.”

Barty nodded, moving just enough to kiss Regulus’s forehead and pull him tighter against his side, “Of course.”

And if a certain, low ranking Death Eater went missing a week later, nobody would take notice either, of course.


End file.
